As the dust slowly (really slowly) settles on the American election, there will be a lot of analysis in the months and years to come of Trump’s politics – what we are calling populism – and the impact of his brand of divisive and (often) untruthful politics, both in the USA and around the world. 

Reading some of the commentary around the outgoing president, one prominent news source labelled him a ‘communications genius’. While a comment like this is likely to provoke a ‘don’t think so’ reaction, it is interesting to consider the incredible popularity of Trump and his meteoric rise to power through the lens of communications, and what comms professionals can learn about this strange time in politics.

When we discussed Nigel Farage’s ‘Brexit Party’ in a previous article, we said how it was the simplicity of its proposition that was key to its success, and how its simple USP made it easier for voters to choose to go for them, whereas most (but not all) of the other parties made it harder to make that choice because there was too much the voter had to understand, too much nuance.

You can’t help but feel this is part of Trump’s appeal also, no edit, no filter, he ‘tells it like it is’, and his voters love that.

The public often see politicians as overly educated and wealthy types that don’t speak for them and don’t have any connection with them or their daily lives. But people like Trump (who is also rich but supporters see that as personal success rather than entitlement) talk in simple terms and adopt a philosophy of just ‘saying what everyone else is thinking’. This is undeniably refreshing in a world where politicians talk in complex terms about things a lot of people don’t care or know anything about.

Although it’s easy to take it with a pinch of salt, comments like those of Danny Dyer, where he said: “We must learn now that the people who went to Eton can’t run this country… we need some working-class people, people that have lived a real life, people that are in touch with what’s going on in reality.”  Dyer’s comments make sense when you consider what is underneath some of this, which is simply that people like it when others talk to them in language and terminology that is accessible and easy to understand.

That is not to denigrate the complexity of political issues or how hard it is to run a country, but it does emphasise the need for plain English, to strip out the nonsense and find ways to connect with your audience in ways that matter to them. Too often with difficult subjects, we ask too much of the audience in terms of the volume of information they need to comprehend and understand, and despite the fact that plain English, simplification and accessibility are so often used as weapons by right-wing parties, they are still valid tools for all comms professionals – and the disappointing popularity of many of these far-right parties is a testament to the fact that they work.

So, to summarise, here are three ways to use these comms weapons as a force for good:

Understand your audience

This is a key thing for Trump, he knows his audience and he plays to them very well. Before starting any comms activity, it is critical to understand your audience, their wants, needs, interests, before you do anything else. You cannot assume people will be interested in what you have to say, no matter how important you believe it should be to them. 

Talk straight

Use plain English and everyday language. Avoid jargon, but don’t try and be cool and colloquial either. Make your words accessible to the widest-possible audience, especially because English will be a second language to the widest-possible audience. 

Keep it simple

This is not the same as the above, don’t overload your messaging and make sure each piece of comms deals with a single thing, expressed in its purest form – the easier you can make it for the audience the more likely it is they will engage with you or your brand.